'sustainability' discourse and climate change

Search This Blog

24 June, 2013

This one is for everyone out
there communicating about issues and wanting people to change their behaviour or attitudes (and bring about socio-political
change).

I don’t think most people are
listening, and I am about to list 10 basic reasons why. I will also give a few
brief pointers to hopefully assist you in targeting these listening barriers.

I have researched some of these
points quite extensively, particularly with regard to climate change and the
media today (this was the focus of my Masters thesis). However, I feel these
points have general relevance across a wide range of issues, not just for
communicating about climate change.

Much of what I have to say is not
new, but gleaned from the collective learning of fields such as communication,
behavioural change, social change and political science. But I am also simply
applying a bit of common sense, personal observation and general life experience!

So I am not by any means claiming
to be an expert at all, and I still have many unanswered questions myself with
regard to how to get people’s attention and impress upon them the importance or
urgency of certain changes and alternative courses of action.

Disclaimers aside, here are the 10 main reasons people aren’t listening:

1. They don’t care. No, really.
Most people have other, more pressing and personal concerns making demands on
their attention.

2. They don’t understand. The
information is presented in ways that most people find difficult to absorb or
process.

3. They don’t have time to
research further for themselves.

4. They can’t distinguish between
‘reliable science’ and that which is not so, or less so.

5. There is just enough conflict/
controversy in the media and politics, for most people to ‘switch off’ to it
all and leave it up to ‘them’ (experts/politicians) to argue over and decide.

6. They don’t feel a sense of
ownership of the issue or actions required. (‘Why should we care?’ or ‘Someone
else can do something about it’)

7. They feel disempowered and
hopeless – wondering what they could really do that would make any difference.

8. Not everyone will choose
altruistic paths or options anyway – most of us are simply selfish,
self-absorbed and shallow. Hard to admit, I know...

9. Not everyone will come to the
same conclusions, even if presented with the same ‘facts’. Especially with
regard to assessing the level of risk or urgency of a certain issue – these are
intangible, highly debatable concepts.

10. Most people think at the
level of ‘things’ and ‘people’, not ‘concepts’ and ‘hypothetical scenarios’. In
other words, as can be clearly seen on television any night of the week, most
people want to know how to look good, eat well, live in a nice house, drive a
cool car, keep up with the latest fashions, and what the celebrities are up to.
They are not sitting around wondering “how many ‘parts per million’ of CO2 in
the atmosphere will mean catastrophic climate change is imminent...?” or even,
more personally relevant: “what is the likelihood that rising sea levels mean
my house by the beach is not a smart purchase...?”

In summary, sadly, people are unlikely
to listen or care if we say that ‘because of human activity in general over the
last 200 or so years, some vague but dreadful event/s may happen, at an
unspecified time in the future, in other parts of the world, to people you will
never meet...’

So, how to target these ‘listening
barriers’...?

In a general sense, the answer is
quite simple - basic good communication principles apply:

Know your target audience, who/what
they are listening to, what they care
about and what motivates them... then speak to that!

Key points/ tips/ reminders:

Listening barrier -‘why should I
care?:

Make the issue personal, relevant, local, immediate. In other
words, tell people why they should
care/ listen... Imagine them wondering: ‘How
does this affect me, here, now?’
or perhaps ‘will this affect my children?’

Listening barrier -‘why should I listen to you?’:

Build credibility in the eyes of your audience, by explaining the
basis of your claims/ ‘facts’, being transparent and not getting defensive if
questioned about your sources and conclusions. Be willing to admit your
mistakes, and what you don’t know.

Explain
how people can evaluate competing claims and differentiate between, for
example, peer-reviewed scientific findings, and (energy) industry-funded ‘findings’...

Listening barrier –‘what’s
in it for me?’:

Appeal to existing needs and desires – another basic communication
principle. Package your message in a way that appeals to the target audience’s
already existing needs, desires and interests – rather than trying to change
who they are, and what they ‘should’ want.

Successful examples of this include
the way many lifestyle, fashion and home improvement shows insert bits of ‘green
living’ into the program, appealing to the existing interests of their audience
to look good, live well, ‘buy stuff’, be fashionable, etc.

Listening barrier –‘I don’t
have time for this’:

Give the nutshell version. Stick to the point, and the key facts,
as much as possible. This is well known by journalists as the ‘inverted pyramid’
principle – pack as much of the key message into your opening line or paragraph
as possible (with the rest of the information decreasing in importance as the
message continues).

In other words, ‘pitch’ the message as you would to someone
with the concentration span of a toddler. Really - many of us will make snap
decisions on whether to even listen beyond the first minute, based on the
opening line – let alone whether to read or listen to a whole piece outlining
the climate science behind the statement, for example.

Listening barrier – ‘It’s all a bit confusing...’:

Keep it simple. Be clear, without going into too much unnecessary detail,
and avoid jargon, complex language or anything with problematic connotations. Trim
away flowery or overly emotive language, or other distractions from the key
points.

Listening barrier –‘It
doesn’t seem real’:

Be specific. Vague statements not only confuse, but also allow distance
between people and the issue.

Give the issue a face – numbers, statistics and so on do not
grab the attention, imagination or heart, the way a story about an actual
person does.

Listening barrier –‘I’m not
sure I can do anything to change
this...’:

Put ‘handles’ on it. Give steps, alternatives, practical options...

Break it down into manageable bits – of information, and of steps
that need to be taken. This turns a big, unknown issue, or a scary looming
change of ‘life-as-we-know-it’ into a list of key points to consider, and then
an action plan or set of achievable goals.

Empower. Tell people they can
make a difference – tell them how,
and give examples of past successes.

Listening barrier –‘I understand, and have looked into it myself too.
But I don’t agree with your
conclusions or advocated solutions’ (this one is much trickier and more
complex to answer!):

Build consensus around the issues or aspects of the issues that you
can agree on. Don’t get stuck on the details. ‘Agree to disagree’ on less
important or more controversial points. Allow for a broad spectrum of opinions
and accept that not everyone will share the same interpretations, priorities or
level of urgency regarding the issue and how to address it.

Much of what needs to be done
only requires some consensus around a
few key points, not complete agreement on everything. People can also often collaborate on issues for wildly
differing reasons, with different motivations and to different degrees or
levels of involvement. Respect everyone’s need to act according to their level
of understanding and only as far as they are able to (e.g. due to financial
constraints).

In other words, try to ‘lead’ by
walking alongside people, listening to and sharing some of their concerns, not
by shouting at them from way up ahead like an over-zealous aerobics instructor
(or overbearing military sergeant)!

Well, what are you waiting for?
Get back out there and spread the message! ;D